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I was just wondering how many of you have tried them? - I live pretty remotely, so I'm not going to drive anywhere to use one, and am contemplating buying an entry level home usage one - "zip up pod" rather than the "wooden box type"...

...I'd love to hear your feedback before I commit to buying (or not!!)

I would definately recommend one which you can lie down in, much more relaxing than sitting in the same position for any lenghth of timeI had a cheap one from ebay but upgraded to a sunlighten solo & it is used daily by at least one of us so has paid for itself many times over in the last few years. I enjoy winter a lot more with improved circulation!

I was introduced to one in 2011 at a place that also had whole vibration machines. I used it for a couple of months. Then switched to one at a salon just down the street from me. I liked it so much that I finally bought my own in spring of 2012. I use it 3-4 x a week. I got a 2 person box one and love it. I do something that was recommended in another thread, and that's taking a dose of Trehalose Complex and ARA6 Larch ( both Dr.D's supplements) in lemon water before I go in. I also find that the more water I drink in there, the more I sweat.

How much electro-magnetic shielding do these bags have? Aren't they merely foil-lined electric blankets? Anyway, my preference is for a walk-in unit. I'd want my head (sinuses) heated, too. In fact, I sometimes sit in the parked car with the windows closed during summer.

My SWAMI diet is a blend of BTD and GTD Explorer, but I'm not totally compliant. Also I try to choose foods that have a Low Glycemic index. DW and DD are A+, probably also Explorer.

I have instructions to contruct a sauna, to be kept & used in the bathroom, but have not yet found anyone to build it. good for deep relaxation too, and ridding of toxins. Some people can't exercise due to different reasons, and due to sluggish liver/kidney/bowel function so infra-red sauna would be good. I also hope to use one at some point, to decrease the amount of heavy metals in my body (aluminium, copper, mercury). for now in my case, it is more to do with better nutrition and taking some supplements, am slowly improving. I think my cellular oxidation rate is increasing, which is good news.

There are other threads on this subject if you do a search, but I just wanted to say I have the zip-upinfared sauna and I do not like it. If I had to do it again, I'd have bought one where you can lie down.

Here's my main problem. I'm short....5'2 1/2" This box wasn't meant for someone as shortas me.......and the seat that comes with this sauna is way too low to the floor.It barely allows my head to comfortably sit on my neck without me having to sit up super and unnaturally straight, while stretching my neck to insure my whole head is sitting outside of thebox....and instinctively, while trying to feel comfortable, I'm slumping downward.

So, I find it super uncomfortable to sit upright for as long asI'm having to be in the unit without getting back pains from sitting up so unnaturally tall. There is nothing I can put inside that box that resembles an actual chair with a back because as the unit heats up, the coils are behind the seat and anything with metal gets super hot.......See, the flimsy chair thing that comes with the unit is just that....flimsy and not omfortable to sit on. I bought a plastic cube, covered it with a folded towel to make me sit taller. Got my head and neck high enough but still I had the same problem...I had to sit super straight for 30 minutes and wound up with muscle spasms from that attempt.

In all reality, this is unit is cheap, better than nothing but I can't justify the purchase of sucha junky unit if I had to do it again. I used it for about 6 months....and just gave up. Wasn't comfortable enough to sit there and one minute started to feel like one hour. I just wanted OUT of that box. Felt claustrophobic.

The unit I really wanted is way more expensive....lies on the floor, the Sunlighten solo... but if I had to do it again, I would have never bought this cheaply made, uncomfortable plastic box. I think it was $200including shipping.

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything.....they know how to make the best of everything!"

How much electro-magnetic shielding do these bags have? Aren't they merely foil-lined electric blankets? Anyway, my preference is for a walk-in unit. I'd want my head (sinuses) heated, too. In fact, I sometimes sit in the parked car with the windows closed during summer.

I pretty much think these cheaply made boxes have no magnetic shielding at all. That's anotherissue I have with this unit.. I don't know if it's built like a foil lined electric blanket, but who knows.I know there are coils on the back of the unit and they're rather exposed....which is the main reason you can't lean back against it. Easy to get badly burned. I had to make sure to sit closerto the front of the thing because I did nearly burn my back, but that meant my legs were crammed in an uncomfortable position. Honestly, I have to say I hate this thing and will probablynever use it again.

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything.....they know how to make the best of everything!"

No, Dr. D doesn't use these cheap box units at all. He recommends them to patients because they're inexpensive and I honestly don't think he's ever tried out this unit himself. He has amuch better unit in his practice in the Bridgeport office that patients come and use as treatment...

Have you used this particular unit? I think if you tried it you might not be recommending it.

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything.....they know how to make the best of everything!"

Thank you so much for your invaluable advice and assistance. I got a good deal on a zip up tent type sauna with heated footpad...I decided against the lie-down versions because we've got building works going on and the floors are quite dusty, plus, my 2 little Jack Russell terriers who follow me everywhere would not stop licking or chewing my ears...

In the short term, I just want to sweat out some toxins and get rid of some muscular aches. (Dear Hubby has said that if I want to he will build me a sauna when we've finished our building works, and I can move into the garage annex as my gym - at the moment it's full of building materials and likely to be so for another year... Hey Ho!

They are exactly the same as the sunlighten saunas! I have the dome, it is portable, heats up quicky, uses less power to run & can be packed up & stored easily out of the way. It fits in a small/medium car so when we are away my family/friends can borrow it (its hard to get it back though The company here offers rental so you can try before you buy & they put some of that money toward the unit i bought.

They are exactly the same as the sunlighten saunas! I have the dome, it is portable, heats up quicky, uses less power to run & can be packed up & stored easily out of the way. It fits in a small/medium car so when we are away my family/friends can borrow it (its hard to get it back though The company here offers rental so you can try before you buy & they put some of that money toward the unit i bought.

wow... i was wondering about the 'dome.' does it work as well as a full on box sauna? low emf's? do you lay a towel down to collect sweat? can you put your head in the sauna a swell or? it seems somewhere I read about O's needing to put cold towels on their head in saunas ??? anyone remember this from Dr. D?

wow... i was wondering about the 'dome.' does it work as well as a full on box sauna? low emf's? do you lay a towel down to collect sweat? can you put your head in the sauna a swell or? it seems somewhere I read about O's needing to put cold towels on their head in saunas ??? anyone remember this from Dr. D?

I'm pretty sure the dome unit is designed so your head is lying outside of the unit, not inside.

Having low tolerance for heat....while sitting in my sauna I put an ice pack on top of my head....otherwise, I'd have truly passed out. Drank lots of water, but the zip upunit is rather difficult to manipulate your hands as there are two slits for them to get outsidethe box and you can't reach all that far... and not easy to get water to your mouth without unzipping, letting the internal temperature fall while reaching for your water, drinking it, setting it down, re-zipping and waiting for temperature to rise again.

Thinking I'd gladly sell my unit too....if anyone wants it, PM me....I have the original carton although don't know how much shipping would cost to get it from NY to some other part of thecountry.

I know the benefits of an infared sauna. I have many books on the subject, but in all reality ifgiven a choice between sitting in a hot box to sweat or an igloo to shiver, I'd choose an igloo in a heartbeat..

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything.....they know how to make the best of everything!"

Chloe - I had ordered my zip up tent IR sauna the night before you posted - so didn't have the benefit of your appraisal before I hit the "Checkout" key...I too am rather short - 5'2" ish like you - fingers crossed that it fits me ok (There was a large tent option available, but I went with the smaller one, mostly because DH says he won't use it and he's 6'3' - so if he changes his mind, we'll all have to cross our fingers and toes...!!)

I know from your post that you would rather have the lie down version - and lots of people find lying down more relaxing, but that's not realistic for me with the building works for the foreseeable, plus my 2 little "helpers" (NOT)!!

Delivery is due around Wednesday, so I'll let you know how it fits, and how I get on...

Chloe - I had ordered my zip up tent IR sauna the night before you posted - so didn't have the benefit of your appraisal before I hit the "Checkout" key...I too am rather short - 5'2" ish like you - fingers crossed that it fits me ok (There was a large tent option available, but I went with the smaller one, mostly because DH says he won't use it and he's 6'3' - so if he changes his mind, we'll all have to cross our fingers and toes...!!)

I know from your post that you would rather have the lie down version - and lots of people find lying down more relaxing, but that's not realistic for me with the building works for the foreseeable, plus my 2 little "helpers" (NOT)!!

Delivery is due around Wednesday, so I'll let you know how it fits, and how I get on...

i read many positive reviews about this unit on amazon before I bought mine....so although I have complaints doesn't mean you won't be happy with yours. Just hope your upper torso is tall enough so your head fits comfortably outside of the box....but if you can find another seat....preferably something plastic or wood to raise you up a bit, I think you'll find it more comfortable. When something is designed for "one size fits all", there has to be issues.My husband sat down on the plastic box we bought and was uncomfortable because he had noleg room. I felt I had no leg room because I didn't want my back to hit the coils so I pushed theseat up closer to the opening which made me feel claustrophobic. I'm not someone who cansit in the middle seat on an airplane. I hate feeling crushed or crowded. I think that's the partthat bothered me the most....the confined feeling which I'm pretty sure won't bother most people.

I'm hoping you don't have any issues and can enjoy the purpose of being in an infared sauna,which is to help you detoxify. Can't wait to hear you share your experience. Hoping it's all good!

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything.....they know how to make the best of everything!"

so lately I've been heating my sauna up to 105 degrees before I get in and only letting it rise up to 115 the entire time I am in which is 45 min. I go in for 15, get out take a cold shower, get back in for 15, get out take a cold shower and then finish up with 15.

this is the only way I've managed to break a good sweat. If I go in at 90 degrees and heat up with the sauna.. it takes 20 min to break a sweat.

anyone see any issues with this? I think I've built up a tolerance to the heat. but I must have a good sweat! I want those toxins out! ha ha!

I'm curious about the lie-down saunas. Does your back actually heat up the way it would if your were seated? Or is the surface going to be blocking some of the heat? Now that I've read what I wrote, I think I know the answer, considering what the concept of 'infrared' is all about. Still, I'd like to hear others' experiences.

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.~Mary Jean Irion

Since I am in the company of people who like to detox, I thought I would share a wonderful product that I discovered about 9 years ago. I use an ionic foot bath twice a week. It pull out all kinds of yucky stuff from your joints, organs, etc. I bought mine in Dallas at the Women's Health Expo. Michael mason is the owner of the company

This product has changed our lives. My joints and muscles feel amazing, skin and hair became very soft and overall much more energy. If you use one, you do need to take a mineral supplement or I use colloidial minerals afterwards. You can lose some of the good stuff that is attached to the toxins that come out of your feet. I just thought I would share since it has been so great for us.

Since I am in the company of people who like to detox, I thought I would share a wonderful product that I discovered about 9 years ago. I use an ionic foot bath twice a week. It pull out all kinds of yucky stuff from your joints, organs, etc. I bought mine in Dallas at the Women's Health Expo. Michael mason is the owner of the company

This product has changed our lives. My joints and muscles feel amazing, skin and hair became very soft and overall much more energy. If you use one, you do need to take a mineral supplement or I use colloidial minerals afterwards. You can lose some of the good stuff that is attached to the toxins that come out of your feet. I just thought I would share since it has been so great for us.

We have used this a few years ago at the naturopath's office and could feel its benefits. At that time we were not aware that you could purchase this type of unit. We have purchased an infrared sauna that was tested for EMF by a friend who has the equipment to do so. He tested the one another friend bought and then we ordered ours.